Commercial? Residential? Both? Here are some key developments to keep an eye on in Williamson County.
Elaina Sauber

Dressed in a beige blazer and a pink dress shirt, Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson takes the podium at a recent Nolensville aldermen meeting.

It's the third community he's visited this summer in hopes of convincing city officials to help pay off debt from school construction projects.

He comes prepared with numbers.

Williamson County Schools will have more than 48,000 students by 2021, he says. That's about a 26 percent increase from the district's current population.

And to accommodate the students, the school district has an "aggressive" building plan over the next five years – about $421.45 million for new schools, additions and renovations, he says.

Then he makes his pitch.

"At the rate we're growing in our community, we can't strap it all on the backs of the property tax, because that hurts everybody," Anderson says. "But sales tax – that can be generated by non-county residents."

Anderson has never asked municipalities to help pay school debt with revenue from a sales tax increase.

But with a rapidly growing school district and a distaste for a property tax hike among county commissioners, he said he had to try the option.

Looking for money

Public officials are increasingly turning to cities to help pay off school debt.

Earlier this year, Williamson County Director of Schools Mike Looney went to Brentwood and Franklin officials for help paying off debt on two projects.

With dwindling state funds and a tight county budget — the district cut about $6 million from its proposed budget this year since there would be no extra money from a property tax hike — Looney said he's just trying out "alternative funding."

He succeeded.

Brentwood contributed $2.4 million to help pay off debt for expansions at Brentwood Middle School and Brentwood High School. Franklin contributed $1.8 million to help pay for expanded sewer capacity for a future middle school.

Per state law, half of a municipality's sales tax revenue automatically goes to schools.

How much more are cities willing to contribute?

If county residents vote to approve raising the county's sales tax from 2.25 percent to 2.75 percent, Anderson wants cities and the school district to contribute half of the revenue from the 0.5 percent sales tax increase back to the county to pay off school debt.

The proposal is estimated to generate $60 million — $30 million from the cities and $30 million from the school system — over three years for school debt.

About $62.92 million of school debt is included in this year's county budget.

Under the three-year agreement, cities would still receive money from the remaining sales tax revenue.

City infrastructure also needs to be financed

Three out of five municipalities, Franklin, Nolensville and Spring Hill, as well as the school district, have already approved the sales tax proposal.

That leaves the future of the proposal up to Brentwood and Thompson's Station before a county wide referendum can occur.

While cities have almost unanimously approved the proposal, some city officials say any tax increase should go towards city infrastructure.

"Spring Hill is way behind on our infrastructure improvements," said Chad Whittenburg, one of two Spring Hill aldermen who voted against the sales tax proposal." We've been a city that has grown so rapidly over the years. Any tax increase needs to go to our roads and our infrastructure."

Thompson's Station aldermen Ben Dilks and Graham Shepard said they're okay with a tax increase, but they don't want a portion of that increase to go back to the county for school debt.

"Thompson's Station is already absorbing a disproportionate share of school-related expenses that the Town lacks the funding to cover," Dilks wrote in an email.

"I will instead argue that, should the tax increase pass, the money should be retained by Thompson's Station for use by the Town to offset school-related costs," he wrote.

Williamson County Schools will open a new K-8 school in Thompson's Station in 2018.

The town would need at least $5 million in road improvements, sidewalks and intersection improvements at the school, said Mayor Corey Napier. The improvements are important to the town's goal of having walkable communities, he said.

The city requested improvements from the school district, but was denied, he said.

"We were disappointed, but I get where they are at," Napier said. "They have drawn a line. That doesn't mean we'll stop asking."

For other city officials, the sales tax increase is a fair way to fund schools.

"It just seems like it's a logical way to help to fund what is a massive expense, " he said.

Reach Melanie Balakit at mbalakit@tennessean.com

How officials voted on the sales tax increase Williamson County Schools
The school board approved the proposal.

Brentwood
Commissioners have not discussed the proposal yet. Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson will visit city officials in August.

Fairview
The city of Fairview is exempt since their sales tax rate is already at the maximum. The city has voted to contribute their portion of the Adequate Schools Facility tax back to the county for 10 years, which equates to about $2 million.

Franklin
Commissioners unanimously approved the proposal.

Nolensville
Commissioners unanimously approved the proposal.

Spring Hill
Commissioners approved the proposal with a 6-2 vote.

Thompson's Station
Commissioners have not discussed proposal yet. Anderson will visit city officials in August.

How else is the county tackling school debt?

County commissioners recently approved shifting more property tax revenue from its highway fund to debt services.

Though not specifically for debt, a fee on new housing will fund the construction of schools.